Zane tapped the bracers strapped to his forearms, the leather creaking faintly. They'd all agreed—if anyone was going to wear the unique item, it had to be him. He focused, letting his skill draw out the hidden details.

Alpha Wolf Armguard (Unique) +5 Constitution Grants Passive Skill: Wolf's Reflex (Small chance to dodge incoming melee attacks) Requires Level 8

"Now that's better," Zane muttered, flexing his wrist.

Everyone had taken the time to repair or replace what they could. The Bag of Holding was full again—rations, potions, spare rope, oil, the little things they'd learned mattered. On top of that, each of them now carried their own pack, a just-in-case precaution if they were ever split up again.

They gathered before the black cube, its surface swallowing the light of the noon sun. The air shimmered faintly around it, like heat haze off asphalt, and for a moment no one spoke.

Bell finally broke the silence. "All right. Let's see what it has for us this time."

One by one, they placed their hands on the white hemisphere.

Dungeon Entrance NAME: Dungeon at the End of the Beginning Level: 5 Type: Unknown Highest Level Completed: 5 Party Members: 5 of 5 Do you wish to enter the Dungeon at your highest level reached (5)? Yes / No

The wall slid open soundlessly, and they stepped through.

At once, the System flared before their eyes:

SYSTEM NOTICE Dungeon at the End of the Beginning — Floor Five Biome: Skill Selection and Travel Centre Dungeon Monster Level: 0 Time Limit: 9 hours Option to Exit Without Completion: OFF Completion Criteria: Select the best Class for you Completion Reward: You will have a Class

The white light of the cube receded, leaving them standing in a vast, circular hall. It was brighter than the skill room had been, sunlight streaming down from a ceiling that looked impossibly high and open to a sky that couldn't really exist inside the Dungeon.

Rows of stone archways lined the outer wall, each with a faint shimmer of colored light in their depths. Symbols glowed above each one—some obvious, some abstract.

"Whoa," Tarni breathed, shading his eyes. "Feels like we just walked into a Hogwarts job fair."

Kai grinned despite himself. "Bet you five bucks there's a door for 'Professional Idiot.'"

"Already taken," Zane muttered, though his eyes lingered on the symbols with a seriousness that cut through the banter.

A soft ding chimed across all their visions.

SYSTEM NOTICE Welcome to the Class Selection Hall. • Please enter an archway to be presented with your Class choices. • You may preview Class details before committing. • Once chosen, your Class cannot be undone. • Class selection is mandatory to continue. • You have 9 hours.

Lily frowned as the message faded. "Wait—does this mean we can't discuss our Classes with each other?"

"Looks that way," Bell said softly, eyes scanning the archways.

"I wonder how many we'll get to choose from?" Lily pressed.

Another ding rang out—this one sharper, as though the System itself had cleared its throat.

SYSTEM NOTICE

G'day! I'm your friendly neighbourhood System.

You may have noticed that other worlds' inductions have not gone the same way as yours. That's because I wanted to try something new with Earth.

My goal is simple: Raise human survival above the current average of 3% after the first month of full initialisation.

I have invested all remaining resources into the reward for the next Dungeon Level.

Dungeon Level Completion Reward:

Everyone—yes, everyone—will start at Level 5, with their 15 stat points distributed evenly.

Access for teammates will also be granted to the individual Skill Selection Room, to help each other pick the best Class possible.

The message hung there, stark and unapologetic.

"Three percent," Kai repeated under his breath. "That's… that's it? That's the survival rate?"

Bell's mouth pressed into a thin line. "And we are meant to help Earth do better."

Tarni gave a low whistle, though there was no humour in it. "Guess that means we're lab rats in the System's pet project."

"Maybe," Zane said quietly, his eyes fixed on one of the glowing arches. "But at least it wants us to live."

Lily's brow furrowed as she scanned her notice again. Then she read aloud, voice quick with excitement: "Access for teammates will also be granted to the individual Skill Selection Room, to help each other pick the best Class possible."

Zane blinked, then clapped her on the back. "Thank the System. I'm going to need all the help I can get." Without another word, he strode toward the nearest archway.

The moment he stepped through, a flash of white swallowed him whole.

When his vision cleared, Zane found himself in a room eerily familiar—the same kind of chamber where they had once received their temporary Classes. Black letters sprawled across the gleaming white wall in massive block print:

DON'T PANIC.

This time, though, no dice was waiting on the floor.

Zane turned, instinctively looking for the others—and felt a flicker of relief. The archway was still there, carved neatly into the wall, glowing faintly. One by one, his TEAM were following him in.

Everyone stood around waiting for something to happen. Tarni waited a full 8 seconds before doing finger guns at the writing on the wall, commenting.

"Ok, you awesome System, we did not panic, now what?"

The words on the wall faded slowly from view, only to be replaced.

________________________________________________________________________________

Zane Rider has 0 points to spend

level 9

Strength: 20

Dexterity: 20

Constitution: 25

Intelligence: 12

Wisdom: 15

Charisma: 15

Titles

First Blood!

(First to kill a Dungeon Defender on planet EARTH

(+1 to all Stats per level until level 10)

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Who needs Blood? Not you!

(Your HP went down to 1% due to blood loss.)

(plus 20% to Constitution when your HP is below 10% for 2 minutes)

Skills

Item Appraisal

You can now gain broader information about more detailed and complex items. Cooldown removed. Range increased.

Defensive Stance You may now enter a guarded stance, reducing incoming damage by 25% for 10 seconds. 60-second cooldown.

Create Light Summon a small glowing orb that can be attached to anything, illuminating the area.

Gear

Alpha Wolf Armguard (Unique) +5 Constitution Grants Passive Skill: Wolf's Reflex (Small chance to dodge incoming melee attacks) Requires Level 8 (now that's Bettera)

Leather Vest

+2 Defence

Bag of Holding Can hold up to 300 KG In a 2 cubic meter space Exceeding the weight limit will cause the carrier of the bag to be Overcucumbered and have their movement speed locked to Slow. (Not soul-bound)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Lily was writing frantically in her notebook as Bell said.

"it even knows what gear you have on."

Before long, the words vanished again to be replaced with 3 Class descriptions

_________________________________________________________________________________

Class: warrior

Description: A versatile martial class known for their combat prowess, specializing in weapons and armour to excel on the battlefield

+ 2 Strength, + 2 Dexterity, and +2 Constitution

Level 1 Skill: Can you count to three?

Description: Use a small amount of stamina to perform a 3-hit attack combo (Auto-adjust to opponent), 300-second cooldown

User will receive 4 Skill Points per level

Class: Warrior Mage

Description: Combines martial combat prowess with magical abilities, allowing you to wield weapons and cast spells effectively in battle

+ 2 Wisdom, + 2 Dexterity, and +2 Intelligence

Level 1 Skill: Flash Bang Baby

Description: Use a small amount of mana to Create an explosive light and sound within a 6-meter radius of the caster, has a high chance to stun your enemy 65 65-second cooldown

User will receive 4 Skill Points per level

Extra Class: Vanguard

Description: A protective shield, standing at the front lines to defend allies, using tactics to control the battlefield, and often drawing enemy attacks.

+ 3 Strength and +3 Constitution

Level 1 Skill: Get Behind Me!

Description: use a moderate amount of stamina to Double your Armour Rating and attack for 12 seconds when leading the charge. 560 seconds cool down.

User will receive 5 Skill Points per level

________________________________________________________________________________

"Holy elf tits," Tarni breathed, hands flailing like he'd just found buried treasure. "We've got way more detail now! Look at this—there's an HP bar, stamina bar, mana bar—everything!"

The group instantly erupted in overlapping chatter.

"Wait—if you hover over it, it shows your exact percentage left!" Lily squeaked, already scribbling in her notebook.

Bell tilted her head, squinting at her HUD. "Or you can change it to numbers only. That's way better for tracking."

Zane gave a low whistle. "Skill cooldown timers have their own slots now. That's… actually useful."

Kai poked at the air in front of him. "No kidding. The System wasn't lying about that 'Quality-of-Life update.'"

Tarni raised a hand like he was teaching a class. "Yeah, but more importantly… it tells you if you're Overcucumbered."

Bell groaned. "It's over-encumbered, Tarni."

"Nope," Tarni said instantly, shaking his head. "I refuse to pronounce it that way. From now on, if you carry too much stuff, you're officially Overcucumbered. I expect respect for the title."

Kai snorted. "You'd be the first one to die crushed under the weight of a giant cucumber."

"Correction—" Tarni pointed a finger at him, grinning. "I would die heroically, crushed under the weight of several giant cucumbers. Preferably in front of an audience."

Zane rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Focus. Why didn't the System just tell us all this up front?"

"Maybe it's built to be cryptic," Lily muttered without looking up, still scribbling. "Force us to learn by trial and error."

"Or because it enjoys watching us suffer," Bell said dryly.

Tarni gasped, clutching his chest in mock horror. "Bell! How dare you slander our benevolent overlord-slash-tutorial-AI. It only wants what's best for us!"

"That last note was pretty clear though," Lily added softly. "It said it wants us to survive."

Kai raised a brow, scanning his HUD again. "You think we're… special?"

A quiet settled over them at that. No one disagreed.

"Special," Tarni said finally, breaking the silence. "As in… 'special edition weirdos who panic at cucumbers.' Yep, fits us perfectly."

Zane crossed his arms, staring at the text on the wall. "Alright. Three choices: Warrior, Warrior Mage, and… Vanguard."

Tarni immediately threw his hands up. "Vanguard! Boom, done. Big beefy shield-daddy. Case closed."

Bell gave him a flat look. "We're not speed-running this, Tarni."

"Speak for yourself," Tarni shot back. "I've been waiting my whole life to say, 'Get behind me!' with a straight face."

Lily flipped open her notebook. "Let's be methodical. Warrior: solid, balanced, three-hit combo skill. Reliable, but not very flashy."

"Yeah, it's like picking toast when the menu has steak," Kai muttered.

"Warrior Mage," Lily went on, "more flexible. It mixes combat and magic. Flashbang Baby skill for stunning groups."

"Flashbang Baby," Tarni repeated reverently. "If Zane doesn't take it, I might cry."

"But Zane's not exactly a spellcaster," Bell said. "He'd waste those points."

"Yeah Dad you keep forgetting to use your light spell in battle as it is," Kai added.

Zane scratch the back of his neck and mumbled "Yeah good point."

"Okay," Lily said, tapping her pencil. "Now Vanguard. Big boosts to Strength and Constitution. Tank role. 'Get Behind Me!' doubles armour and attack during a charge."

"Sounds like it was made for you," Bell said.

Zane frowned. "But if I go full tank, won't I just slow you guys down? Be the meat shield while you all do the real work?"

"Not just a shield," Kai argued. "A wall. You keep the heat off us, we do the damage. That's teamwork."

"Plus," Lily chimed in, scribbling furiously, "Vanguard gives you five skill points per level. The other two only give you four. That's a whole extra point every single level—you'll scale faster."

Zane blinked. "Wait. Really?"

"Confirmed," Bell said, peering over at the wall. "It's right there."

Tarni let out a whistle. "Well, damn. One extra skill point every level? Do you know how many Overcucumbered jokes I can buy with that kind of economy?"

"Zero," Bell said flatly.

"Unlimited," Tarni corrected, grinning.

Lily ignored him, eyes fixed on Zane. "It's not just about protecting us—it's growth. You'll become stronger, faster, better than if you picked the others."

Zane let out a long breath, the hesitation fading from his eyes. "…Alright. Vanguard it is."

Tarni fist-pumped. "Yes! Finally, we'll have a real tank. Next time, when a monster roars, you roar louder. Hero stuff."

Zane smirked. "Guess I'm officially the meat shield now."

"Correction," Tarni said, deadly serious. "You're the five-point meat shield. Top shelf."

Everyone groaned in unison.

After one last look at everybody in the room Zane reached out and tapped the part of the wall that had the Vanguard description on it.

The words on the wall all disappeared to be replaced with

_________________________________________________________________________________

Are you sure you would like to select

Extra Class: Vanguard

Yes/No

________________________________________________________________________________

Zane took one last glance at the glowing panels. His fingers hovered in the air like he might still back out. Then he exhaled and pressed YES.

At once, the System chimed in his head:

CLASS CONFIRMATION You have chosen: Vanguard (Extra Class)

+3 Strength, +3 Constitution +Passive Role: Frontliner +1 additional Skill Point per level compared to base Classes. Total of 5 per level

New Skill Unlocked: Get Behind Me! • Cost: Moderate stamina • Effect: Double your Armour Rating and Attack for 12 seconds when leading the charge • Cooldown: 560 seconds

Zane staggered as the words dissolved into motes of light that sank into his chest. A sudden weight pressed down on him—not crushing, but grounding, like he'd just stepped into armour perfectly tailored to his body. His heartbeat steadied, his breath grew deeper, and for a brief instant he felt the instinctive certainty that if someone attacked Bell, or Tarni, or any of them, he'd be there before the strike landed.

"Whoa." He flexed his hands, surprised at how solid his own grip felt. "That's… different. Like I just anchored myself to the floor."

"Look at him," Tarni whispered, clutching Lily's shoulder. "My boy just evolved from 'squishy barbarian cosplayer' to 'official wall.'"

"Shut up," Zane said, but there was no bite in his voice.

Bell tilted her head, eyes narrowing with that quiet, calculating concern only she had. "Do you feel stronger?"

"Stronger, heavier. Like I'm… harder to move. And there's this new—" He hesitated, then smirked. "Urge to yell Get Behind Me! at the rest of you."

Tarni made a mock salute. "Don't fight it, mate. That's your destiny."

Lily's pencil was already scratching across her notebook. "Statistically, Vanguard synergizes with your existing Constitution better than either Warrior or Warrior Mage. Your growth curve is going to spike hard now."

Kai grinned. "Good. We need a rock on the front line. And you? You just volunteered."

Zane straightened a little, rolling his shoulders. For the first time since the Dungeon began, the role didn't feel forced onto him. It fit.

"Alright," he said, the words firm. "If I'm the wall, then nothing gets past me."

Tarni clapped his hands together, loud enough to echo off the white walls. "Brilliant, mate—love the new 'human fortress' look. But uh… some of us are still standing here like unpaid extras in your personal cutscene. Can we maybe get on with the rest of the Class selection before I die of boredom?"

Kai smirked. "You're just jealous because his Class made him cooler than you."

"Excuse me," Tarni said, pointing at his chest. "I was already cooler. The System just hasn't caught up yet."

Bell rolled her eyes. "Come on, drama queen. Who's next?"

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